Edward Merewether

Merewether was born in Meriden, Warwickshire, England on 9 September 1858, the second son of British Indian Army officer Major General Sir William Merewether (1825–1880) and Harriett Dale. His grandfather was the Serjeant-at-law and Town Clerk of London, Henry Alworth Merewether (1780–1864). His uncle, Edward Christopher Merewether (1820–1893), was a prominent civil servant and businessman in the Colony of New South Wales and for whom the municipality (today a suburb) of Merewether was named.C. E. Smith, 'Merewether, Edward Christopher (1820–1893)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/merewether-edward-christopher-4188/text6735, published first in hardcopy 1974. Retrieved 22 January 2017. Merewether was educated at Harrow School.

After passing the civil service exam, Merewether was accepted as a cadet in the Straits Settlements Civil Service (SSCC) in 1880 and rose to become Superintendent of the Census in 1891 and Inspector of Prisons in 1893. As Assistant Colonial Secretary and Clerk of Councils from 1897, he acted on two occasions as resident Councillor and Colonial Treasurer in Malacca. In 1901 he was appointed as Resident Minister to the Sultan of Selangor, Alauddin Sulaiman Shah. For his service in the colony he was made a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Birthday Honours |date=10 November 1902 |page=10 |issue=36921}}{{London Gazette |issue=27493 |date=7 November 1902 |pages=7161–7163 |supp=y}}

In 1883 he married Honoria Clementina Mary Braddell, the daughter of the first Attorney-General of Singapore, Sir Thomas Braddell.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15660512 |title=LINER MISSING. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|issue=24,357 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=31 January 1916 |accessdate=22 January 2017 |page=9 }}

Merewether was appointed Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary to the Government of Malta in May 1902,{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Appointments |date=29 May 1902 |page=8 |issue=36780}} serving until 1911.{{London Gazette|issue=27498|page=7936|date=25 November 1902}} He arrived in Malta on 21 August 1902 to take up the position.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular|date=22 August 1902 |page=8 |issue=36853}} On the occasion of King Edward VII's visit to the island the following year, he was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) on 21 April 1903.{{London Gazette|issue=27560|page=3525|date= 2 June 1903}} When the King visited Malta again in April 1907, Merewether was promoted to Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).{{London Gazette|issue=28015|page=2731|date=23 April 1907}}

In March 1911, Merewether was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Sierra Leone.{{London Gazette|issue=28474|page=2053|date=10 March 1911}} One of his Private Secretaries was the colonial administrator Paul Shuffrey.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-242928|title=Shuffrey. Paul, (1889–22 March 1955), Owner and Editor of the Church Quarterly Review|website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|year=2007|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U242928|isbn=978-0-19-954089-1}} In the 1916 New Year Honours, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG).{{London Gazette|issue=29423|page=82|date=31 December 1915}} Merewether's term expired in early 1916 and was due to return to England on board the British and African Steamer, SS Appam, but was taken prisoner when the ship was captured by the Imperial German Navy raider {{SMS|Möwe|1914|6}} on 15 January 1916. He and his wife were released when the Appam arrived under control of its German prize crew in Norfolk, Virginia, in early February.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41822955 |title=WAR CRUISERS AND COMMERCE DESTROYERS. |newspaper=Cairns Post |issue=11,138 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=23 October 1937 |accessdate=21 January 2017 |page=15 }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15658195 |title=GERMAN PRIZE. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |issue=24,361 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=4 February 1916 |accessdate=22 January 2017 |page=9 }}

Merewether was lastly appointed as Governor of the Leeward Islands, serving from 1916 to 1921.{{London Gazette|issue=12910|page=344|date=29 February 1916 |city=Edinburgh}} In September 1920, he entertained Edward, Prince of Wales at Government House, Antigua on the occasion of his visit to the West Indies.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16868499 |title=PRINCE OF WALES. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |issue=25,815 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 September 1920 |accessdate=22 January 2017 |page=9 }}

He died in Kensington, London, on 28 December 1938.

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{{s-bef | before = Sir Gerald Strickland|as=Chief Secretary }}

{{s-ttl | title = Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary of Malta| years = 1902–1911 }}

{{s-aft | after = John Clauson|as=Chief Secretary }}

{{succession box | title=Governor of Sierra Leone | before=Sir Leslie Probyn | after=Sir Richard James Wilkinson | years=1911–1916}}

{{succession box | title=Governor of the Leeward Islands | before=Sir Henry Hesketh Bell | after=Eustace Fiennes | years=1916–1921}}

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Category:1858 births

Category:1938 deaths

Category:People educated at Harrow School

Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Category:Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

Category:Governors of the Leeward Islands

Category:Governors of Sierra Leone

Category:Burials at Brompton Cemetery

Category:19th-century Australian public servants

Category:British people in British Malaya

Category:Crown Colony of Malta people